Eerie Inspiration
by sarahthepirate98
Summary: Kashima and Mikoshiba have invited both Sakura and Nozaki to go camping with them for three days over the weekend. They have their tents, bathing suits, and are ready to have a great time before school starts back up in a couple weeks. Sakura assumes this will be an ideal trip for Nozaki to gain ideas for his Shōjo manga, but what if that's not really what he had in mind at all?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello, readers! I don't have much experience doing this sort of thing but would absolutely love to make this a multi-chapter fic. i'd appreciate some constructive criticism if you are liking or maybe disliking this story so far as it would really help me with my writing skills in the future! Enjoy reading!**

"Sakura?" Nozaki called from within his kitchen. Sakura looked up from the page she was currently working to find Nozaki staring at her.

"Yes, Nozaki-kun?" She said, a bit nervously, under his intense gaze. He seemed to be thinking as he turned around and reached for two mugs off the counter. "Coffee?" he asked, simply. She smiled, brightly, and took the steaming cup with both hands.

"Thank you!" She took a sip and sighed in delight. She had been inking for a good hour and a half now so the caffeine was just what she needed to give her the extra boost to finish the last page.

With a triumphant nod, Sakura set down her utensils and reached for her coffee. Her heart leaped out of her chest as she choked on her cold drink, finding Nozaki's stare, unrelenting, across the table.

"I have a question." he asked, seemingly unaware of her sputtering and slight blush coloring her cheeks. "Have you ever been camping before, Sakura?" She gave him an inquisitive look at the odd question. Well it wasn't too unusual, she thought. Just a bit disconcerting he was waiting until after she was done with her inking to ask such a simple thing. Especially with those eyes observing her reactions so intently.

"Once, when I was little." She turned her head in thought. "I don't remember it well, but I recall it being mom's idea. We spent a couple of days by a lake and we had to go home earlier than expected because of storms. It was actually quite fun, I think." Nozaki nodded, regarding her.

"Would you like to go again?" he asked, abnormally eager. "Kashima asked Mikoshiba, who texted me about it an hour ago. Something about it being an exciting adventure before the start of school." he seemed a bit indifferent about the trip itself, most likely fantasizing about taking pictures, while gaining ideas for the next chapter of his _Let's Fall in Love_ manga. While a bit aggravating at times, Nozaki's passion for his Manga was contagious making Sakura especially excited about the idea.

"I'd love to go with you!" said Sakura, clapping her hands in delight. "Um, and the others." She finished, remember her other friends who would also be coming. Of course, she would have to get the OK from her parents, who would probably be a bit apprehensive about the thought of their little girl being so far away for a day or two. A little urging and reassurance would just have to do the trick, she decided. "Um, Nozaki-kun?" she waved, noting his now hyper-daydreaming. Wow. He must really be excited for this.

"Huh?" He murmured, still a bit lost in thought.

"I'd like to go" Sakura repeated, grinning at his goofy expression.

"Oh. Alright." He said, taking their empty coffee cups and heading towards his small kitchen. "Would texting you the details be fine?" He asked as she started to put away her pens and carefully set the inked pages out separately to dry on the table.

"Yep. That's fine." She confirmed, picking her bag off the ground and putting it over her shoulder. "Say, Nozaki-kun? What exactly do you have in mind for the manga that involves a camping trip? Will you be taking pictures for reference?" She asked, curiously, while going for her shoes. The idea for a camping trip never really crossed her mind when it came to the manga, but now that she thought about it, this could be rather romantic for Mamiko and Susuki. It would be late at night after a full day of activities. They would both be exhausted. Laying on a comfortable blanket, they would be staring up at the stars as the sounds of night surround them. Slowly. Ever so slowly their hands would reach for each others, and their focus drifting from the sky to instead gaze into each others eyes.

"Eh?" Nozaki said, interrupting her thoughts. "Who said anything about the manga? I only wanted to spend time with you and our friends before school." He tapped his chin in thought. "But that is a great idea, Sakura. I will bring the camera just in case." He said, considering it. Sakura could have smacked herself she felt so stupid. Was it so weird for the man to want to spend time with his friends? She felt mean for thinking him so single-minded.

"I'm sorry, Nozaki-kun. I didn't mean to assume." She looked ashamed but he just tilted his head in confusion.

"I'm not offended, Sakura" he said, seriously. "Why would I be?"

"Oh um…" she stammered, not knowing how to respond. "I just thought maybe I had-"

"Are you going home, then?" He asked, interrupting her sputtering. Maybe he had sensed her lack of direction with her unnecessary apology or perhaps trying to stop her from her inevitable embarrassment. She couldn't decide which.

"Mmhm." She nodded, not quite trusting herself to speak yet. Nozaki moved the few inches there was to the door and opened it for her.

"Have a safe walk home." he shifted to the side, allowing her to walk through. "I'll text you later after I've cleaned up here a bit."

"See you later, Nozaki-kun." She smiled, brightly, waving.

"Goodbye." He gave a short wave, closing the door behind her.

Sakura, promptly, started to giggle at his unknowingly gentlemanly action.

After she returned home and ate dinner, it was only around 7:00, so she had a couple hours for relaxation. Putting on her pajamas, she thought about getting on her computer to catch up on an anime Yuzuki had suggested, but opted against it. She ignored the computer on her desk, Instead grabbing a book off the shelf and sitting by the window where the sun was beginning to set. She brought her knees close to her chest, intent on finishing where she had left off yesterday when there was two buzzes that sounded from across the room.

Setting the book down, Sakura rose from her comfy spot and picked up her phone. In bright letters flashed Nozaki's name across her phone, along with a little message symbol. The message was brief and to the point, much like the man himself. It only stated how Mikoshiba's mother offered to drive them there and from their camping site over the weekend and when she'd be picking them up. After that there was a short message about already having two tents and to bring a swimming suit because they'd be camping near a lake.

A new form of enthusiasm settled in her stomach. She had already brought the subject up with her parents, and like she presumed, with a little convincing they agreed to let her go with her friends for the three day period. It occurred to her the weekend was only a day after tomorrow. She'd be able to spend a great deal of time with her friends and maybe, just maybe, be able to get a little closer to Nozaki as well. She gave a little whoop gesture in the air before calming herself. If she got too excited she wouldn't be able focus on the next chapter of her book.

Three hours later lead to Sakura now being three fourths into her book, an amount she had not really been expecting to finish that night. Although it was only 10:30, she was trying to get back into a regular schedule which accounted for her constant yawning as she crawled into bed and pulled the string to her bedside lamp.

Pulling the covers over her head, she had an abrupt thought. If not for the manga, then why had he been so deep in daydreaming when asking her if she wanted to come? Hadn't he seemed a bit hesitant as well, gauging her reactions like that? Perhaps she was just being a little over analytical. Her father always told her she had a sort of habit of over thinking. Not that it was a bad thing, he once reassured her. It just sometimes led to unnecessary worrying. She turned over on her side and told herself she wouldn't ponder it anymore. At least not tonight. She yawned once more, before falling into a tranquil sleep


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So I told one of my reviewers I'd have this up earlier today...whoops! Anywho thank you to all who did review, followed, and favorited. It makes really excited to write the next chapter for this story. Next chapter we'll get to see Kashima and Mikoshiba and begin the adventure. Enjoy reading!**

Sakura tossed in her bed, fighting the feeling of breathlessness that had befallen upon her in the late hours of the night. Deep in sleep, she reached toward her throat, clumsily, trying to remove the object constricting her airways. When her fumbling hands met with only skin, she let out a small grunt, unconsciously smoothing her hair against the pillow, and away from her clammy neck. Even settling back down, her eyes seemed to be constantly moving beneath their lids. Her breathing came out in shorter bursts, as a scene began to unfold within her weary mind.

She was walking, but it wasn't quite as real as moving. She tried to move or maybe touch something, however, nothing tangible was to be felt. In a burst, there was a sensation of her entire being being swept up, but there was no falling to be felt. A crack of broken air came rushing past her ears. Her body was being swept forward in a large gust of motion, and then brought to a halt all within the span of a couple seconds.

Sakura found herself severely confused with the place that began to form around her. She began her wondering by taking in the atmosphere of the strange new environment, cautiously. As she observed, she felt rather than heard the glass crunching beneath her. Looking down, she saw glass sharper than needles scattered throughout the hall. She was barefoot, and there was blood mingling with glass as she walked.

This is the time Sakura would have began to scream or, perhaps, she would have began to wail like a traumatized child. However, she did not have any such urge. Her mind was calm and collected as she looked at tattered curtains along the dark walls, indifferently.

They were not torn, she thought briefly. The curtains were singed at the ends, and the walls looked dreadfully charred, her foggy mind concluded, finally.

When she had finished her study of the room, she became aware of a rather menacing looking door right in her front line of vision. She felt small being near such an imposing object. The sheer size was intimidating, as her small hands began to twist the doorknob. Wait. When did that happen? The door began to to creak open and she abruptly became aware of how cold everything felt.

Something was crawling up her back. Fear began to overtake her as she stood frozen to the spot, waiting for something to appear in the doorway. It was antagonizing, just standing their. She stood, patiently, the cold beginning to dissipate. Perhaps she was to be greeted in, she pondered, momentarily.

"Welcome back, darling." A smooth voice breathed, heavily, in her ear. A long arm strung itself around her waist, enveloping her. There wasn't words for what Sakura felt next. Only the brush of Air leaving someones mouth as they chuckled, deeply, in her hair. Then, everything became ablaze with a ravenous fire. It was sweltering. Boiling, as flames met skin. She was being pulled under, transcending into some unknown person or place. All there was left was feeling and emotions mixed in with the burning of flesh. Sense was hopeless, being muddled with the screams of hatred and contempt. There was death that came now. Hurry now, it thought, oblivion is awaiting.

Sakura choked back sobs, throwing the covers from her swear ridden body. She was shaking, as she brought her feet from under the covers and stumbled to her door and out into her hallway. Gaining balance, she rushed towards the bathroom, a feeling of nausea overcoming her. She proceeded to empty the contents of all of last nights dinner into the toilet.

"Sakura, Are you alright!" Came her mother's troubled voice, muffled by the door. "Should I come in?" She asked, about to turn the knob.

"No! No, It's alright, mom." she brought her weak body up of the bathroom floor, using the sink to support herself. "I'm just taking a shower I'll be out in ten minutes." There was a pause from outside the bathroom. She didn't really recall what happened. Having her mother coming in all distressed and worried probably wasn't the best for now.

"Alright, Sweetie, but come talk to me after you're done." Sakura listened to her mother's footfalls grow softer and gave a sigh of relieve. Stripping down, she turned the temperature slightly cooler than usual, hoping it would help her fever. She tried to remember what she had dreamt about to make her so unsettled, but when she attempted to think deeper, she had to rest her throbbing head against the shower wall.

She didn't really feel sick, she reasoned, after wrapping a towel around herself. She wasn't warm anymore, and she was actually beginning to gain an appetite. Maybe she ate something bad last night that had induced some type of morning sickness. Wringing out her hair, she settled to just having to ask mom if she had experienced any of the same symptoms she had.

Clad in only a big fluffy white towel she quickly went into her room, threw on some clothes, and patted her way out into the kitchen where her mother sat drinking coffee and going through paperwork. Her father was no where to be found, so he must have just gone into work, seeing as it was still pretty early in the morning. Her mother was a math teacher for a middle school in the city, therefore she was most likely only going over lesson plans until the new school year started.

"Are you alright, Sakura? You looked pale as a ghost, running into the bathroom this morning." She gave a bright smile to her mom, trying to reassure her and thankful for her concern. Her mother, Suzeme, was a kind woman who was slightly taller than average, unlike her daughter who was quite short, really. She also had the same bright orange hair that Sakura had, except while her's was at her mid back, her mother kept her hair fashionably short in a pixie cut above her ears.

"I'm good, mom!" she replied, sincerely. "It was really odd, but I think I just ate something bad last night. Don't worry! I feel great now." her mother seemed to accept this answer, grinning back at her and going back to her work. She wasn't lying really. She did feel oddly healthy for having thrown up this morning. There was still a slight throbbing in her head, however, but it would most likely just go away within the hour.

Grabbing the coffee pot, she decided at least one cup was in order before breakfast. Her mother wrinkled her nose at her plain black coffee, always finding her taste for it unfathomable. Her father was quite proud of her for it and thought her mom's reactions were hilarious.

"You're so small and sweet, Sakura. So why do you drink that bitter stuff?" her mom, scowled, a hint of humor in the corner of her mouth as she sipped her own creamery drink.

"Dad says it's hardcore." Sakura sipped her coffee, trying to stifle a laugh. Her mom wasn't so lucky, however, as she choked and proceeded to have a laughing fit, nearly dousing her paperwork in hot liquid. Sakura laughed, good naturedly, moving her mom's mug out of the way to avoid accidents. The dream had already been pushed from her mind, already preoccupied of with thoughts of of preparing for her trip tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Heyo, guys! Sorry about not uploading, quickly. I know some people were wanting that, alas school started and I was dead on my feet the entire week. Thank you for your patience. I really appreciate it! Next chapter they arrive~ Enjoy reading! **

When Sakura woke the next morning, she woke up refreshed, eager to start her day. There had been no sickness or nightmare she could recall. The sickness had been dismissed as a coincidence, nearly forgotten. Only now, quiet and early in the morning, was the event resurfacing. Something was there, lingering in the back of her mind where she had pushed it. She decided it would probably be in her best interest to think back and sort through her thoughts now so they wouldn't get in the way during her camping trip.

Her brow furrowed, eyes closing, and hands, balling into fists. She concentrated hard on the night before last. All she could see was dark after a few minutes. Only it wasn't that normal void you'd see behind your lids when you blinked or settled in for sleep. This darkness was blurred but seemed to extend. She clenched her eyes harder in an attempt to see through it. She paused. There was something there. She made out the edges of the door. She tensed up, her face draining of all it's color.

She quickly opened her eyes, thoroughly shaken at the re-lived nightmare. The images that came to her mind were disconcerting at best, and as a headache started to form she was beginning to wonder if recalling the night terror was the best option. She felt perturbed and anxious now and wanted to tell someone about this.

Maybe her mom would be able to calm her down, she thought, getting out of bed and heading for the kitchen before she lost her nerve. It wasn't often she would have a bad dream. In fact, she hadn't had one since she was still deathly afraid of the dark. Even then there had been nothing that terrified her into becoming physically sick. It bothered her and perhaps talking with someone would help.

"Mom, are you here?" Walking into the kitchen, Sakura had found no trace of her mother. That's odd, she thought. Her mom must have been out running arons.

"Not here." Her dad mumbled, a piece of toast sticking out of his and cup of coffee in his hand. Her dad had short black hair, wore glasses, and appeared to be rushing to eat finish his breakfast. "At the school. Something about getting ready before the new semester." he clarified, seeing her confused look.

"Oh." she said, a bit disappointed.

"Gonna be late! Gotta go." Checking his watch, he frantically shoved the rest of the toast into his mouth and headed for the door. He went out the door before appearing back a moment later. "Be careful this weekend. I love you, K?" he said, very seriously. Sakura smiled wide.

"Love you too, papa! I will." She assured him. He nodded and continued out the door the final time. Sakura sighed, settling to just talk about the dream after her trip. Until then she would just keep it at the back of her mind. She wouldn't let a silly thing like a nightmare ruin her entire weekend.

When there was a knock, Sakura was all packed and ready to go. Excitement was in each footfall as she walked to the door, practically bouncing with each step. Realizing it could be Nozaki-kun, she put her hand through her hair and smiled, nervously.

"Chiyo-chan!" Kashima yelled, picking Sakura up and squeezing the life out of her. "I havent seen you in forever, chiyo-chan. I missed you so much!" Sakura was beginning to turn a different color.

"Kashima-kun." She rasped. "It's good to see you too, but I can't." she was cut off by another painful squeeze, as Kashima squished Sakura against her chest.

"Kashima, You are killing my assistant." a bored voice chimed in behind them.

"Oh, man. Sorry about that." Kashima set Sakura down and rubbed the back of her head, in embarrassment. "I was just so excited to see you, Chiyo-chan." she laughed. Sakura coughed and rubbed her sore ribs.

"No, it's alright! I missed you too." she said, smiling to let her know everything was fine.

"Are you injured, Sakura?" Nozaki appeared beside Kashima, looking down at her with his usual indifferent look. Sakura's cheeks immediately set ablaze at his statement.

"Y-yes, Nozaki-kun!" She blushed harder, as his eyes widened, slightly. "Um, I mean no! I'm fine! Please, don't worry about me." She waved her hand, frantically, realizing her mistake.

"Hey, guys!" yelled Mikoshiba from outside. "You coming?" he called, expectantly, from the passenger side.

"Ok, Mikorin! Just let me get my bag!" Mikoshiba's interruption had given Sakura just enough time to calm down to where their was only a slight coloring still on her face. She smiled up at her two taller companions. "Come on!" she said, cheerfully.

After locking the door, the trio went for the van in front of Sakura's house. The trunk was already open. Kashima took it upon herself to lift Sakura's bag and put it in there herself with a grin and wink. Sakura just rolled her eyes, goodnaturedly, at her friend's antics. Apparently being a 'prince' never took a vacation. Kashima was a true gentleman through and through.

When they got into the car, Sakura was of course placed in the middle. Being the smallest out of the bunch, she was bound to have to sit there. Not that she minded, really. She was happy to see Kashima and Mikoshiba again after a little over a month. Furthermore, she was certainly glad to be seated near Nozaki. She could practically feel the heat radiating off of him, making her a little fidgety. He smelled slightly of ink, paper, and something else she couldn't quite place. Oh goodness. Was she turning into a weirdo? She was glad no one could read her thoughts.

"Hello." Mikoshiba's mother waved, looking into the front mirror at them. The woman was quiet but kind. She had long blonde hair parted in the middle with a pretty face.

"Hello, Mikoshiba-san." The three in the back said, bowing their heads, respectfully. The woman smiled once more before pressing the gas pedal and driving away from the house.

"So what have you guys been doing for your break?" Mikoshiba said, cheerfully, looking back at them, expectantly. Kashima was the first to chime in, talking about her early preparation for the school's fall play. Everyone was lost in conversation as they switched from topic to topic, easily, enjoying each other's company.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you, my lovely guest reviewer, for your wonderful review ^-^ I hope you all are really enjoying the story so far. Oh, and I don't know if I've said already but reviews(even criticism), favorites, and follows really help me feel connected to the readers. So you know *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*. Spooks to come. Enjoy reading!**

While driving, the conversation had some how gotten on the topic of who women prefered more. It was probably better not to ask.

"No. No, listen. Young woman prefer a knight in shining armor. A prince!" Kashima exclaimed, proudly. "To defeat the evil in this world and save the beautiful maiden." She moved her hand through her hair and looked at Mikoshiba, feigning haughtiness. The smile gave it away, really. Everyone in the car, save for Mikoshiba' mom, knew Kashima didn't take herself seriously. You know; most of the time.

"Ha! Yeah right!" Mikoshiba was turned all the way around in his seat, straining the seat belt around him. "This is the modern century! Woman don't want some pompous man parading around for them." he rebuddled, matter of factly. "Woman in this day in age are independent and self serving. What they really want is challenge. And a sexy one at that." he folded his arms, smugly, confident he had won the discussion.

As Mikoshiba and Kashima's mock argument continued, Nozaki and Sakura were looking at them back in forth, a bit uneasily. They looked to Mikoshiba's mother, only to see her cracking a smile at their antics. Sakura gave a sigh of relief, hearing Nozaki-kun do the same thing a moment later. He looked down at her to find a sly smirk in the corner of Sakura's mouth. Apparently, she had noticed their simultaneous exhaling. It struck him as humorous for some reason, and he began chuckling. Before she could react to this rare occurrence, Kashima and Makoshiba both called out to her.

"Ok, Sakura-chan, you settle this." Mikoshiba said, exasperated.

"Yeah, which guy do you prefer, Chiyo-chan?" Both of them looked at her, expectantly. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Nozaki's gaze on her as well. There was no mistaking it, that was a look of curiosity. She quickly squashed all the possible scenarios her wild imagination could come up with before they had time to play out. He was probably just curious for platonic reasons, after all.

"Well I like, um." She said, poking her fingers together in shyness.

"We're here." Mikoshiba's mom said softly upon arriving in a clearing.

The conversation was forgotten as they arrived. Sakura looked out the window, leaning slightly over Nozaki. The clearing was broad, surrounded by a thick, flourishing forest. In the distance, there was a vast lake that reflected the clouds as they slowly rolling by. Peering closer at the sight, she noticed a massive willow tree overlooking the lake. Underneath was a small bench. The place looked peaceful. Sakura found it fascinating.

Nozaki shifted, tensing up when he felt her lean over him. He grunted to get her attention, but she seemed enthralled at the moment. He was suddenly caught off guard by the thought of her being so at ease around him. Of course, people talked to him on occasion, but rarely did they want to be in his company too long. He'd often blamed it on his quiet nature, it being the reason many people were intimidated by him. Sakura being able to be this close to him without so much as a moments hesitation was endearing. He looked out the window, a small smile on the corner of his mouth. He understood why the she had been captivated by the scene the moment he saw it. It was quiet and simple, but beautiful all the same.

"Wow." Mikoshiba murmured, unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door. Everyone followed suit, leaving the car empty to stand in the practically empty clearing.

"Whoa! Mikoshiba-san, where'd you find this place?" Kashima asked, eyes wide as she turned in a circle.

"My husband and I used to come here all the time when we were young." she smiled fondly. "It's as lovely as ever." she added, captivated by memories.

Sakura wondered why anybody would ever want to stop coming to this place. She thought to ask why Mikoshiba-san didn't come anymore, but interrupted by kashima calling to her.

"Hey Chiyo-chan, come help me put up our tent." Kashima exclaimed excitedly, running towards the middle of the clearing. Sakura was about to jog after her, but scolded her self, realizing her bad manners.

"Thank you for taking us, Mikoshiba-san." Sakura bowed, thanking her.

"No problem." She laughed, waving to the young girl trying to catch up with her friend.

About half an hour later, the girls had almost finished with their tent. It was, admittedly, most of Kashima's help that even got the thing to stand up. While Sakura kind of fumbled with different parts, not having a clue as to what she was doing. Nozaki and Mikoshiba brought all the the bags from the car, making Sakura a bit embarrassed of her forgetfulness. The guys were half finished with their tent when Kashima had an idea.

"Hey, guys. I think I saw a bench over there awhile ago " She said, her gaze wandering over to the lake. "Anyone want to go look with me?" She asked. A nice view, she thought. It would probably be a really good place to have breakfast tomorrow.

"Hmm. I think that's the place dad taught me how to skip rocks when I was little." Mikoshiba said, releasing a rod for the tent. "You don't mind putting this up the rest of the way do you, Nozaki?"

"Yes, that's fine." he said absentmindedly, examining two different sized rods in his hands.

"You coming, Sakura-chan?" asked Mikoshiba.

"Yep! I just want to lay the blankets down in the tent first." she popped her head out of the tent and pulled what she need in with her. "Go on ahead. I'll be there in a minute." Kashima and Mikoshiba made there way towards the lake, Kashima deciding to make it a race and sprinting the entire way there. Mikoshiba tripped while trying to catch up and proceeded to start yelling something unintelligible, limbing after her.

After Sakura finished placing the blankets inside the tent, she got out only to find quite the interesting sight. Nozaki looked utterly confused as he gazed at the pieces of tent in his hands with contempt. How he had managed to undo all the work him and Mikoshiba had done before, she will never know. The tent was in shambles, with him in the middle of it all. Some how the situation struck something in Sakura. She started to giggle, trying to hold back the sounds mirth in vain. She put her hands over her mouth, failing to smother the escaping laughs. It was no use. The air around him was practically cracking with frustration, and Sakura just couldn't help herself.

She opened her eyes, breathing heavily due to her laughing fit, and yelped in surprise. Nozaki was not even a foot away from her, bent down and looking her right in the eye.

"Help. Me." He said, with a sort of haunted look. "Please." He brought his hands together, looking at her with distress. With that, Sakura proceeded to hop up from her spot and took on the task, with an odd determination.

When Kashima and Mikoshiba returned from there walk to the lake, Mikoshiba was yelling something along the lines of "Prince type, my ass!" and Kashima was chuckling at him. They both came to a complete stop, jaws dropping when they saw something neither of them would ever forget.

"Help. Us." Came Sakura and Nozaki's pleas from under the large fabric that was supposed to be the tent. Kashima's and Mikoshiba quietly walked over to where the two tent ghosts stood, gently patting both of them on the head. In hindsight, it probably was not the best option to put the two with no camping experience in charge of setting up a tent. This was going to take longer than expected.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry about not updating quickly. Had to get a root canal and then sickness came shortly after so that delayed the whole writing process, but I really enjoyed reading the reviews. However, I have decided that I don't really want to answer reviews about what's coming up in the story because... well defeats the purpose of writing. Anyway, onwards we go!**

Getting the tent back together would take longer than expected. As Kashima and Mikoshiba tried to reconstruct the shambles left by Nozaki and Sakura, they were made to sit quite a distance away, both ashamed of what their pitiful craftsman's skills had caused. Nozaki wondered if Mamiko and Suzuki would have this much difficulty at such a simple task.

"Mamiko and Suzuki would never have had this much trouble." Sakura groaned, looking down and shaking her head at the ground. Nozaki looked at her in contemplation. He briefly wondered if he had said his thoughts out loud, and Sakura had merely been replying to his cognition. He scratched that idea, realizing he hardly ever said his thoughts out loud without deliberation first. Did Sakura really reflect on his manga just as much as he did, or was he rubbing off on her? Whatever the reason, she still looked sincerely disappointed in the situation just as much as himself. Nozaki didn't particularly like seeing his friends like this. When working it was distracting to have a member of the team upset about something. It made things progress slowly and left an awkward feeling in the air. Even though they were not currently working on the manga, her distraught look brought him discomfort. He much prefered her when she was waving her hands in exaggerated movements, face flushing, and words coming passionately faster than her brain could ever hope to catch up with. With others the sudden rambling would simply irritate him at times, but with her it was like a shy kitten slowly coming out of it's timidness to play vigorously with some intriguing, new toy. That toy of her's would usually take the form of some plot bunny she had previously been mulling over in her head. The whole process was quite enjoyable for Nozaki, and it would always end with both of them spending a few extra hours a day tossing ideas back and forth to one another, eventually coming up with something new to fascinate his readers. Her stupor was a postponement of conversations that brought those little ideas out of her head and into fruition, and he wasn't particularly fond of the silence it created at this moment either.

Perhaps now would be the best time to execute what he had already planned when he was first asked about going on this trip by Mikoshiba. He was going to wait until later tonight when everyone was asleep, but with Mikoshiba and Kashima distracted with that god awful disaster of a tent this would be the ideal time. Nozaki shifted in his spot and stood, scoping out the near by woods. He wasn't necessarily hoping to bring anyone else with him until he had efficiently checked for himself, but upon second evaluation maybe it was best he only brought Sakura along. Kashima and Mikoshiba were both very good friend, but they did have that irksome habit to squabble at the most inappropriate of times. He looked down at Sakura who had already shifted her gaze to him at him, questionably. Yes, she would be able to keep a secret, and if all went well the first time maybe she would agree to come with him again tomorrow night for an even longer period of time. That's when the real inspection would began. Would she trust him, however? He had done his research and figured this would definitely be an enlightening experience. With Sakura there there would definitely be more opportunities in the future for collaboration, and that excited him. He would have to try and approach the subject lightly for she could always be apprehensive towards the idea, and he wouldn't want to accidently scare her off. Baby steps it is then.

"Say, Sakura?" he began, looking to her in his usual stoic manner. "Will you come with me for a walk?" he asked nodding his head towards a little pathway that lead into the forest. If he had done his research properly, that exact path would lead him exactly where he wanted to go. She tilted her head like a curious puppy, traveling his gaze to the path a ways away. She thought to ask why he would want to leave Kashima and Mikoshiba behind, but decided to hold her tongue. Nozaki was asking her to go on a walk with him. Him and her alone. Before her restless imagination could mull over the infinite amount of scenarios brought about by that thought, a question had scratched it's way to the surface. Wait, why exactly did he want to take a walk in the woods anyway?

"Oh! Are we going to do some exploring?" Sakura offered, clapping her hands together and looking at him inquisitively.

Nozaki thought about that. Yes. What they were going to do would definitely be counted as exploring. "Would that be something you want to do?" he asked, hoping to at least get a small idea of how she would feel with what they would be doing, without revealing his plan all at once.

"It sounds like fun Nozaki-kun," Sakura stood from her spot on the grass, wiping the little flecks of earth off of her floral shorts. She looked him in the eye for a moment as if looking for something. Sakura truthfully wasn't necessarily a skeptical person but neither was she completely void of caution. He stared back at her, expectantly. With haste, she smiled, walking to his side. She trusted Nozaki wholeheartedly, she decided in that moment. Perhaps it was foolish thing to do considering how many times her mother had warned her of such things as men wanting to be alone with her. This was Nozaki though, she had spent hours upon hours with him and never had his manner been impure. He only ever treated her with the utmost respect and even streaks of kindness here and there. It was a bit silly to even think of Nozaki having any malicious intentions considering his overall mature yet completely oblivious and indifferent nature.

He began making his way to the entrance to the woods at a leisurely pace, Sakura following by his side. He had learned early on in their friendship it was unwise to walk briskly when around her. While his long legs could carry him far with just walking at his normal pace, Sakura's short stature took far longer to catch up with him. He had learned this the hard way one day when he had found a park fountain just a few blocks away from the school that inspired him. At the time they had both been on look out for a new scenery for a scenario she had come up with where Mamiko would throw a coin into a wishing fountain, asking for Suzuki to notice her. Nozaki found the spot excellent for such a scene and was so delighted by the discovery he practically swept Sakura out of her from a discussion with Seo after her basketball practice, almost dragging her through the school's doors. By the time they had made it to the park Sakura had been completely winded, sweat practically dripping from her forehead, and breath coming out in short spurts of air. He had, admittedly, felt a bit guilty for that one; he had not taken her height into consideration. Since then he was careful not to get too overzealous when showing her things, taking care to not run faster than she could keep up with. On the off chance he did absolutely need her for something in a hurry he would just pick her up to save her the trouble. Though now that he thought about it, she didn't really mind that did she?

He placed that question in the back of his mind for later evaluation, taking note on the sun's place in the sky. It wasn't quite setting, but it would be soon. They'd most likely have an hour before the sun did eventually set and became nightfall. Reaching the edge of the woods, he realized he needed to make this quick so they didn't have to walk back in the dark. He patted his pant pocket, feeling the object he had placed their this morning still intact. Good. He would be needing that.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thank you all so much for your patience with this story. I'm horribly unreliable when it come to updates, so I will tell you guys now I do not have plans to abandon the story. However, updates will be random. Enjoy reading!**

Sakura had been following Nozaki for quite some time now. Her eyes were constantly scanning the tree tops as she went, admiring the foliage in silent wonder. The quiet serenity of the sunlight was shining in just a way where it filtered through the trees, became blocked by their towering trunks, and beamed to the ground where it pooled at their feet. The forest's noisy vigor slowly transformed from it's daily boisterousness to a delicate hum that fell backdrop to the steady crunching of leaves in the wake of their footfalls.

Nozaki abruptly stopped, causing his companion to smack face first into his back with a disgruntled squeak and stumble back in hurry. He looked over his shoulder at her, his eyes furrowed and roaming over her form for a moment before snapping to a near by tree. There on the oak's ivy ridden base was a small slender form, blending in with the mossy greens of the greenery that overcame it. Sakura, curious and speculative, cautiously approached him to get a better view.

The little creature began to slowly ascended it's way down the trunk. It's movements were slow and deliberate, winding it's long body round and around in almost purposeful and calculated movements. When it finally paused in it's journey, it lifted it's head and considered them for a moment before sticking out it's forked tongue and tasting the air.

Nozaki studied the snake. While not necessarily afraid of the predator, he was still put off by the sight of it. To be completely honest with himself, Nozaki never knew much about wildlife in general. He had spent all of his seventeen years surrounded by tall buildings and the bustling of city life. These type of encounters were all too foreign to him, and it was best he respect the creatures habitat and find a different path to walk. After all, snakes were venomous most of the time. Or at least that's what he thought to be true. Either way he rather not take a chance on getting a fatal snake bite anytime soon.

When he began to walk around the tree, he felt the absence of Sakura's wandering presence behind him. He turned around to see if perhaps she had fallen behind. She was turned away from him, slowly approaching the tree which he left behind. Sakura, unbeknownst to him was enchanted by the serpentine being.

Many times during the spring and summer she had saw similar creatures in her mother's small garden back home. At first she had been deathly afraid of them, practically breaking out in tears when one decided to slither it's way into her lap one afternoon when she was still a young child. Eventually her mother assured her that the small ones were absolutely harmless and proceeded to give her books on how to distinguish the venomous from the benign. She had grown accustomed to them ever since, even finding small fascination in the way they coiled around objects with a smooth languidly. The ones in the garden had been very plain like, not varying much and only going from soft tans to murky browns. She had never seen such a vibrant color on a garter snake before. She found the sharp contrast between it tiny red tongue and it's green body admirable and interesting behold.

Nozaki watched her incredulously, slack-jawed and stupefied by her actions. He knew her to be slightly naive, but was she really this lacking of caution? He approached until he was a good foot behind her, slightly to her right. From this vantage point he could see the smile on her face. He was a bit surprised at that, his eyebrows lifting in speculation.

"Sakura, being so close to that is not safe," he tried to make his voice sound definite, letting her know the seriousness of the situation. Sakura turned to face him, head tilting as she gave him an inquisitive look. She wasn't quite sure what he meant by not safe. When it dawned on her what he meant she grinned and gave a short laugh.

"Nozaki-kun, this is a garter sna-" her explanation was suddenly caught off as Nozaki blanced and went completely rigid in fright. Sakura looked over her shoulder too find the little animal's upper half sitting politely on her shoulder, it's tongue flickering out and tickling her ear.

In a flurry of motion Sakura was swept off her feet, the snake quickly retreating to it's tree, offended by their quick movements. Nozaki, Sakura wrapped tightly in his arms, fell back into the forest floor. He landed softly on his backside due to the cushion of grass and leaves. However, his front met a much less fortunate fate. Sakura fell hard onto his lower half with a yelp. Immediately afterwards she heard a sharp intake of breath.

"Sakura, off. Please." he grunted, his face contorting in pain as his hands made a move to get her off himself if she did not do so quickly. She scrambled off of him, her face now stinging with her embarrassment as she realized what had happened.

"I'm so so sorry! Is there anything I can do to help?" she frantically asked, horrified at how she had hurt him. He quickly put up his hand and shook it at her as a serious negative.

"NO! Do not help!" he leaned his face toward the ground, hands splayed before him as he resisted the urge to scream.

Sakura said nothing for a few moments as he tried to even out his breathing. She fidgeted while she waited, a million scenarios were going off in her mind all at once. The one where Nozaki was seriously injured and decided to never speak to her again was currently the most prominent one occupying her thoughts.

"I'm an idiot," he breathed out finally when the pain subsided.

"Nozaki-kun. I really am sorry," she said sadly, head hung in shame. "It's just we don't have those kinds of snakes back home, and it was absolutely beautiful," She kept her head low so he couldn't see the tears threatening to overspill unto her cheeks. "It was harmless," she added lastly. Nozaki, her apology giving him time enough to recover, looked up at her.

"Harmless?" he questioned. He couldn't help the smirk that started to form his at his stupidity. Dusting off his pants as he got up he noticed the worry that was etched on Sakura's face. She wasn't even speaking to him. He frowned, realizing he had most likely frightened her in some way. "Sakura, I apologize immensely at my tactlessness. Please accept my apology," Sakura looked up at his bowing form in surprise. He was being completely sincere she discovered.

When he didn't hear her say anything for awhile began to worry. Perhaps the fall had hurt her too and he had not noticed. He looked up at her to check this theory only to find her giving him an embarrassed smile. She shook her head, only glancing at him for a split second before looking to the ground again, her mirth ever present.

"I'm glad you're alright, Nozaki-kun," she whispered to herself but just loud enough for him to hear what she had said. They both chuckled a bit, expelling most of the nerves they had gathered up through the entire ordeal. Deciding to move on, they headed further into the woods. The whole situation was forgiven, and the serpent that had been the cause of it all was seemingly forgotten as it was left up in it's tree, never taking it's gaze off the two companions.


End file.
